Transfer printing process



A. SCHUBERT TRANSFER PRINTING PROCESS Filed April 29, 1930 Feb. z, 1932.

HND 4 D/LuTn/vr FOR' THE SOLVE/IT (5.6. ToLuoL) I l INVENTOR. www B 7A@ ATTORNEYS.

Patent-ed Feb. 2, 1932 UNITEDl STATES PATENT oFFlcE ADOLF SCHUBERT,` 0F MILLBURN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN'OR T0 BARRETT & COMPANY,

OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY TRANSFER PRINTING PROCESS Application iled April 29,

rlhis invention relates to a transfer-printing process that I have developed for makinO' permanent markings on fibrous articles an which is peculiarly suited for ornamentation work. The present invention concerns particularly both the relation between the dye-- stul solvent and the ink-vehicle employed in this process, and the application of the process to the marking of leathers.

- Hereinafter, for simplicity of expression, I shall frequently refer to ink as incorporating a single dye or other dyestu (singular number) it will be understood however that any given ink may contain two or more dyes or other dyestuft's.

According to the usual practice of this transfer-printing process, the subject matter (letters, numerals, lines, color masses, pictures, or whatever else it may be) is printed on sheets of paper, using an ink which incorporates a dyestutli; and from these transfer sheets, so called, the dyestu, or a portion of it, is transferred by Contact, in the presence of a solvent for the dyestulf, to the articles to be marked. As a result of this transfer of dyestul, the desired markings are made on the article by dyeing, directly or indirectly. In this process, the solvent for the dyestuff is required to enter the vehicle part of theink, in order that an adequate quantity of the dyestuff may be made available. As the process has been employed prior to the present invention, the materials for the dyestulis, the dyestutl Solvent, and the inkvehicle, have been so selected with respect to each other that the dyestuft' solvent is not only, a solvent for the dyestufl", but is also, of and by itself, permeable into the ink-vehicle, and to the latter end, customarily, is a solvent for the ink-vehicle.

In marking leathers, according to the present invention, I employ as the dyestutf in the ink, a dve capable of dyeing the leather, and I have fornd it desirable, in many instances, that in addition to the solvent for the dye there be used at the time of transfer another substance or substances in considerableouantities. For example, ethyl alcohol is a desirable solvent for transferring dyes to leathers, as appears i: a copending application of 1930. Serial No. 448,435.

mine (Serial No. 448,434, filed April' 29,\ 1930).` When used with vegetable tanned leathers however, and also when used with certain of the chrome tanned leathers, it tends to extract thetannin from the leather. I have found that by materially diluting the ethyl alcohol, as it were, with a substance not having a deleterious effect on the leather, ethyl alcohol can be used for transferring to such leathers without noticeably bad results. In general, when a desirable dye solvent tends to have a deterious effect on the leather, the deleterious effect can be avoided by using therewith a-sutticientquantity of another sub-` stance or substances not having a deleterious eect. The added substance may be itself a solvent for the dye, or it may be a substance in which the dye is substantially insoluble; the former is also a matter of the said copending application, and the latter is the specific form of this invention of the present application.

Further, I have discovered that it is not necessary that the dyestulf solvent, of and by itself, unaided, be permeable into the vehicle portion of the ink; but that an accompanying substance which is itself permeable into the vehicle (for example, which is a solvent for the vehicle), will serve to give a dyestuif solvent access to dyestutfs within a vehicle into which the dyestu solvent is impermeable by itself. As before stated, the customary practice prior to the present invention was to use as the dyestuttl solvent a substance which is a solvent for the chosen' vehicle part of the ink also; or,` conversely, to use as the ink-vehicle a substance or substances readily soluble in the chosen dyestuff solvent. Iny various instances it is preferable to use inkvehicles and dyestuif solvents which are not 90 soluble oneinto the other however. For eX- ample, such a practice renders it possible, particularly when the dyestui' is a dye, to obtain greater color depths or tinctorial values in some instances than has been possible heretofore. As an instance of this: Using ethyl alcohol alone as the transfer-agent, it has been found diilicult to get a deep dense black from the alcohol-soluble dye nigrozine. From the results obtained with the present inven- Zuse as ink-vehicles, are also solvents of waterto get a deep black from alcohol-soluble nigrozine, using ethyl alcohol as the dyesolvent. Again, employing a substance or substances to give the dyestuf solvent access into an ink-vehicle into which it is otherwise impermeable, or into which it is insufficiently permeable, materially enlarges the range of substances from which the dyestuifs, vehicles,

and dyestu solvents can be chosen. As an instance of this This practiceadds thel water-soluble dyes to the list of dyes suitable y.for use with my transfer-printing process.

Water-soluble dyes are not well suited for my Vtransferring process when the transfer-agent consists of the dye solvent alone, since substantially all water-soluble substances that, from the printing standpoint, are suitable-for soluble dyes; and it is not desirable that any 0 storage and transportation.

considerable part of the dye be dissolved in the ink-vehicle, since solution ofdye in the ink-vehicle tends to produce bleeding and blurred reproduction. llhis difficulty can be avoided by choosing as the ink-vehicle a substance in which the waterfsoluble dye is insoluble, and using along with the water, at the time of transfer, a substance capable of giving the water access into this chosen ink- .vehicle As another instance: Ethyl alcohol is a desirable dye solvent when working on leathers, as before stated. The useof ethyl alcohol as the sole constituent of the transferagent however, ,has heretofore substantially limited the range of substances available"v for use as ink-vehicles to the nou-drying oils and fats and resins. lnks employing such substances as their vehicles readily offset from one paper sheet to another as the transfer sheets are stacked one on top of another for By making it unnecessary for the dye solvent to be, of and by itself, permeable into the ink-vehicle (or, conversely, by making it unnecessary for the ink-vehicle to be picked from those substan ces which are readily permeable by ethyl alcohol), and, instead, using` with the alcohol another substance or substances to give the alcohol 'access into the ink-vehicle, it is possible to use other substances as the ink-vehicle, and, specifically, a relatively `quick-drying vehicle; for example, an ordinary printing varnish may be used; and thus offsetting avoided, even though a substance such as ethyl alcohol is used as the dye solvent.

According tothe present invention there reame@ fore, ll employ at the time of making the transfer, at least two substances, rather than one, and both in appreciable quantities. 0f

,stud solvent be entirely non-solvents for the dyestuffs; the dyestuE solvent or solvents itself or themselves may be more or less permeable into the vehicle, and the added substance or substances may be more or less a solvent for the dyestuff; in some instances indeed itv may be desirable that either of these or both be the fact. Ordinarily however l contemplate that the various functions will be substantially segregated to the various substances respectively chosen to perform them. These various substances composing the transfer-agent of the present invention may be applied separately where necessary or desirable. 0r they may be mixed together and applied as a unit, say in the manner that the single-substance transfer-agent has been applied heretofore. `Where the substances, or some of them, are non-miscible, a further substance may be added to cause them to mix, say in the form of an emulsion.

@bviously all the various advantages flowing from my present invention may not be achieved simultaneously in certain instances. 0n the other hand, in other instances a proper selection of substances may combine substantially all of them. @bviously therefore l contemplate that various substances may be used along with the solvent for the dyestuf, depending on the conditions encountered and the results to be accomplished. For general use under present conditions, to secure all the possible results of the invention named above, toluol is suitable. rlloluol is a solvent for ordinary printing ink varnish, and hence per- `mits.the use of this material as the vehicle part of the ink, when the dyestuff solvent is a substance in which thevarnish is insoluble; in general, it permits the use of quick drying vehicles. It seems to have no deleterious effect on any of the ordinary leathers, and hence., furthermore, is peculiarlyifsuited for work on leathers where thedyestuH" is preferably an alcohol-soluble dye and ethyl alcohol is the dye solvent employed at the time of transfer. In such situations it may be used to increase a tinctorial value, `or to avoid a deleterious e'ect of the alcohol as a transfcr- 5'"- agent. Xylol and benzol are equivalents of toluol in their actions; I prefer substances of this class.

In carrying'out my process as it includes my present invention therefore: An ink is rst made of a mixture of a dyestufl' and an ink-vehicle chosen as suiting the condimasses, pictures, etc. etc.) on a quantity of sheets of paper, cloth,'or the like, the vehicle `material is so chosen that the ink resulting from the mixture has that viscosity, tacky or greasynature, or whatever other characteristics are required of the ink used in the particular printing process employed for lay-- ing down the ink on the paper or cloth. It may also be chosen for its quick-drying qualities. Furthermore, the vehicle is chosen from a substance or substances that will remain on these printed transfer sheets until the transfers are made tothe leather, since I believe that the presence of the vehicle it the time of the transfer helps tol confine the ldyestuf to its intended: boundaries, i. e., restrains bleeding or blurring. The dyestuif is not to beheld in the vehicle in solution however, but in a solid state; in suspension as it were. 'If the dyestuif is soluble in the vehicle, bleeding may take place in the transfer sheet and this result in blurred outlines and poor color gradations in-the reproductions on the leather, as' before noted. Furthermore, for certain colors -at least, I have seemed to find it impossible to get suiicient dye into the vehicle in dissolved form to give the desired color intensity or tinctorial value. Hence I choose for the vehicle (including in that term everything in the ink excepting the dyestulf) a substance or substances in which the dyestuf is substantially insoluble. Of course, the dyestuf may be introduced into the vehicle initially in the form of a solution,

if desired, providing the solvent is evaporated for example, or if in any other manner the proper relatively-large ratio of dyes-tuff to vehicle is produced prior'to the printing on the transfer sheet base and insufficient of the, dyestuff remains dissolved in the vehicle to produce noticeable bleeding, blurred outlines and poor color gradations. Preferably therefore I employ for the vehicle a material in which the chosen dyestuiil is substantially insoluble, and I grind the dyestuf in powdered form into the vehicle. Afterwards the mixture can be thickened if too thin and thinned if too thick, by the addition of suitable inert substances as will be understood; also drying retardants and/or other useful substances may be incorporated in and made part of the ink as will be understood. Finally, and particularly Where the dyestuff is a dye, the ink-vehicle'is selected by preference from those substances which are insoluble, or substantially insoluble, in the solvent for the dye that is to be used in making the transfer. Ordinary printing ink varnish, i. e. an inch vehicle consisting of linseed oil prepared in ordinary manners, satisfies the conditions, and by preference is chosen.

Usually I print up a quantity of these transfer sheets at a time, using sheets of paper, cloth, or other relatively light, thin, flexible material. I prefer a fibrous material for these transfer sheet bases, because'of thc permeability of brous materials. Newsprintr paper is suitable and usually give better results than a heavily sized paper. The. stock of transfer sheets can be stored, and used as needed, so long as the vehicle remains on the transfer sheet and remains permeable to the vehicle-permeant which is used when making the transfer to the leather.

To make a transfer from such a transfer sheet, I press the sheet smoothly to the article or material ,to be marked, inked face to the same, in the presence of substance or substances Which is or are a solvent or solvents for the dyestuf in the ink and capable of carrying dyestuif into the midst of the fibers of thearticle or material. And I also have present, or I have previously applied, that substance or substances the addition of which f vthe form of a lake) the dyestuff solvent can be chosen for its ability to break up the compound, as Wellas for its ability to dissolve the essential element to be transferred; or a substance accompanying the dyestufl" solvent can be employed to break up the compound. The dyestufl' solvent need not then be a solvent for the dye-compound found in the ink; it need be a solvent for only the dye proper, or an essential principle. The substance or substances, the addition of which to the dyestuff solvent is a subject of the present invention, will be chosen of course with reference to thel function or functions they are to perform. Assuming, for example, that simply a deleterious effect of a chosen dye solvent is to be avoided, the added substance may be selected solely for its ability to perform this function, as a dilutantbf the solvent as it l Again, lassuming that the substance chosen for the vehicle part of the ink is one that is not permeable by the dyestulf solvent alone, of and by itself, the added7 substance, or one or more of them, Will be chosen for its ability to give the chosen dyestuff solvent j access into 'the ink-vehicle. As such vehiclepermeants customarily employ solvents for stud solvent and the added substance or substances are chosen from those substances in which the dye-is or becomes relatively insoluble as the dye comes into dyeing relation to the fibers to be marked and becomes fixed thereto. lFinally all of these substances employed at the time of transfer to the leather, are chosen from substances that do not deleteriously attack or 'modify the article or material to be marked, unless contrary precautions are taken. As before indicated, l usually mix the dyestu solvent or solvents and the added substance or substances together and apply them as a unit, with or without the addition of another substance to render them miscible. Usually ll apply le miture to the article or material to mar 'ed, either b s ra infr'or di in immediately before liheltraziisfr, andpaiplgy the transfer sheet dry to the wet article. ll lregard it as highly desirable to apply at least thev dyestuf solvent to the article or material to be marked. Conceivably 'the added substance or substances (or indeed the mixture) may be applied to the transfer sheet; as a particular instance, it may be well to apply a vehicle-permeant tothe transfer sheet in some cases, in order to give the chosen permeant an opportunity to act on the vehicle before'the solvent is'applied. Usually too ll apply pressure, squeezing the transfer sheet to the article in a press with considerable pressure; ll have used up to 300y pounds per square inch. 'llhis is notto be understood to indicate however that such hi h pressures as this are always necessary. eat also can be used simultaneously with the pressure,

v as by passing steam through pipes yprovided in the plates of the press; heat is not altogether essential however. The transfer of dyestul takes place rather quickly, at least underhighpressure,atransferbeingproduced from a fraction of a minute to two minutes. However the length of' time the'transfer sheet is left in contact with the leather is notcritical; that is to say, without heat at least, lengthening the period of contact somewhat beyond the period` actually necessary to prol 'duce a transfer of full quantity, does not producel noticable bleeding or blurring, other conditions being pro er. When a transfer has been accomplishe the paper or cloth is peeled o' the article of course. Preferably the substances l employ when making the transfer are also volatile, so that they readily escapeor are removed `from the article by evaporation after they have performed their functions.

`lt will be apparent from the foregoing, that from a broad point of view, the exact nature of the dyestud employed in theink is not material to my present invention, excepting only that it be a substance that is capable of dyeing or producing dyeing of the article v'as the term dyeing is used in the dyeing art, and not a mere staining, or a mere fixing of pigment to the article by the ink-vehicle after the manner of printing. The various forms which a dye may asvsuine will be understood by those skilled in textile printing. rlhe essential dyeing principle may stand alone in the ink, uncompounded. Lakes have been mentioned be. fore. For developed colors and other dyes acting in analogous ways, all the constituents may be incorporated in the ink when conlditions are suitable; or in the alternative,

the ink may include only a part of the constituents of the dye' and when necessary the remainder may be applied to the article direct, either before or after the transferring operation. 4The article mav be treated in various manners either before or v after the transferring is done to it, or both before and after; for example, to prepare the article, for cleaning, to brighten the colors, etc. etc. 'llheldrawing shows a diagrammaticl representation of the process, with self explanator legends.

s specific examples of my present invention: 'lo dye a vegetable tanned leather with a deep black, an alcohol-soluble nigrozine, in finely powdered form, is ground into an ordinary printing ink varnish consisting of prepared pure linseed oil, and the mixture then thickened or thinned to such a consistency that the resulting dye-vehicle mixture has that consistency required for the operation chosen for printing the transfer sheets. 'llhe ratio of nigrozine to vehicle (varnish) is found by trial, that ratio being used which gives the desired color strength or tinctorial value in the reproduction on the leather. With the ink .thus formed the design or ornamental matter is printed on sheets of such paper as isused for newsprint, using type, or' blocks or rolls etched or engraved in accordance with the desired design. Because of thel nature of this vehicle, the ink hardens promptly after printing, and hence the care ordinarily given by printers is sufficient to prevent od-setting from sheet to sheet as a vstock of the transfer sheets are stacked one on another. When the time has come to make a transfer to a skin or piece of the leather, the

latteris sprayed with or dipped into amixtween the two andv one plate or roll vof the press, and considerable pressure used to evenly and uniformly contact the transfer sheet f with the leather throughout the whole surface of the latter. One or both plates or rolls of the press may be heated, by steam. The

printing varnish being readily solublepasses through the alcohol into the midst of v the fibers of the wetted leather, whence itfdyes the leather in accordance with the design laid down on the paper in the printing of the latter. After momentary pressing the two' are taken from the press and the paper sheet peeled olf.

As an alternative, a water-soluble nigrozine may be used in printing ink varnish.

The transfer-agent with which the leather is sprayed or into which the leather is dipped immediately before transferring, may then be a mixture of about equal parts of water and toluol to which is added a relatively small amount of triethanolamine oleate to cause the water and toluol to mix, forming an emulsion, the two alone being non-miscible. With this transfer-agent the process is carried out in detail as before described.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing description, except as appears hereafter in the claims.

I claim:

1, In the method of making markings on leather which consists in printing the subject matter von transfer sheet bases with an ink incorporating a dye for the leather and vehicle material suiting the ink yto the particular printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheet bases is done, substantially all the dye existing'in the ink in an undissolved state, and pressing, while the ink-vehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to the leather in the presence of a solvent for the dye capable of carrying dye from the ink-vehicle into dyeing relation to the fibers of the leather, the improvement, where the dye solvent tends to have a deleterious effect on the leather, which consists in having present also, when the transfer sheet is pressed to the leather, a diluent for the dye solvent, which-diluent has substantially no deleterious effect on the leather.

2. In the method of making markin s on leather which consists in printlng the su ject matter on transfer sheet bases with an ink incorporating a dye for the leather and vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheet bases is done, substantially all the dye existing in the ink in an undissolved state, and pressing, While the inkvehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to the leather in the presence of a solvent for the dye capable of carrying dye from the ink-vehicle into, dyeing relation to the bers of the leather, the improvement, where the dye solvent tends to have a deleterious effect on the leather, which consists in having present also, when the transfer sheet is pressed to the leather, a diluent for the dye solvent, in which diluent the dye is substantiallyl insoluble and whichx diluent has substantially no deleterious effect on the leather. 3. In the method of making markingson leather which consists in printing the subject matter onv transfer sheet bases with an inkl incorporating a dye for the leather and vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular printing process by which the printling on to the transfer sheet bases is done,

substantially all the dye existing in the ink in an undissolved state, and pressing, while the ink-vehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to the leather in the presence of a solvent for the dye capable of carrying dye from the ink-vehicle into dyeing-relation to the fibers of the leather, the improvement, where the dye solvent tends to have a deleterious effect on the leather, which consists in having present also, when the transfer sheet is pressed to the leather, toluol. 4. The method of making markings 0n leather that is deleteriously affected by alcohol, which consists in printing the subject matter on transfer sheet bases with an ink incorporating an alcohol soluble dye capable of dyeing the leather and vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheet bases is done, substantially all the dye existing in the ink in an undissolved state, and pressing, While the ink-vehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to the leather inthe presence of an alcohol and toluol. p

v 5. The method of making markings on fibrous articles which consists in printing the subject matter ontransfer sheet bases with an ink incorporatinga dye for the article and vehicle material suiting the ink. to the particular printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheetbases is done, said dye being substantially insoluble in said vehicle material and said vehicle material being substantially impermeable by the dye solvent hereinafter mentioned, pressing, while the ink-vehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to an article to be ymarked in the presence of a solvent for the dye capable of carrying dye from the inkvehicle into dyeing relation to the fibers of the article, and subjecting, about the time the transfer sheet is pressed to the article, the ink-vehicle to a substance capable of causing the ink-vehicle to admit the said dye solvent.

6. The method of ^making markings onV fibrous articles, which consists in printing the subject matter on transfer sheet bases with an ink incorporating a dye for the ar-\ ticle andy vehicle material suiting the link to f the particular `printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheet bases is done, said dye being substantially insoluble in said vehicle material and said vehicle material being substantially impermeable by the dye solventhereinafter mentioned, pressing, While the ink-vehicle is still present n the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to an article to be marked in they presence of a solvent for the dye capableof carrying dye from the inkvehicley into dyeing relation to the fibers of the article, and in the presence of another substance which is a solvent for the ink-vehicle.

7. rfhe method of making `markings. on fibrous articles, Which consists in producing the subject matter in an ink incorporating a dyestuff for the article and' a vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular process by which the subject matter is produced and which is substantially impermeable by the solvent for thea dyestu hereinafter mentioned, substantially all of said dyestuff existing in the vehicle mate-rial in an undissolved state, and pressing the subject matter to the article in the presence of a solvent for the dyestuff capable of carrying dyestufi' from the ink-vehicle into *dyeing relation to the fibers of the article, and in the presence of a substance giving said dyestuf solvent access to the dyestu Within said vehicle# 8. rllie method of making markings on fibrous articles, which consists in producing the subject matter in an ink incorporating a dyestu for the article and a vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular process by which the subject matter is produced and which is substantially insoluble in the solvent for the dyestuff hereafter mentioned, substantially all of said dyestuf existing in the vehicle material in an undissolved state, and pressing the subject matter to the article in the presence of a solvent for the dyestuff capable of carrying dyestu from the inlivehicle into dyeing relation to the fibers of the article, and in the presence of another substance which is a solvent for the inkvehicle.

9. rlhe method of making markings on fibrous articles, which consists in printing the subject matter on transfer sheet bases with an ink incorporating a dye-stuff for the articles and vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheet bases is done and which is soluble in toluol, substantiallyI all of the dyestuif existing in the ink in an undissolved state, applying toluol, and pressing, While the ink-vehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to an article in the presence of a solvent for the dyestu capable of carrying dyestuff from the ink-yehicle into dyeing rela-l tion to the fibers of the articles.

10. ln the method of making markings on fibrous articles, which consists in printing the subject matter on transfer sheet bases with ap ink incorporating a dyestuff' for the artic es and printing varnish, substantially all the dyestuff existing in the ink j in an undissolved state, and pressing, While the varnish is still present'on the transfer sheet,

a transfer sheet to an article in the presence.

11. The method of making markings onl fibrous articles, which consists in printing the subject fmatter on transfer sheet bases with `an ink incorporating a dyestuif for the articles and vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular -printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheetbases is done, said dyestu being substantially insoluble in said vehicle material and said vehicle material being substantially insoluble in the solvent for the dyestuH hereinafter mentioned, mixing together a solvent for the dyestuif capableof carrying dyestuif from the ink-vehicle into dyeing relation tothe fibers of the article and another substance capable of causing the ink-vehicle to' admit said dyestufl solvent, applying said mixture to the article, and "pressing, while the ink-vehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to the article while the article is still Wet with said mixture.

12. The method of making markings on fibrous articles, Which consists in printing the subject matter on transfer sheet bases With an ink incorporating a dyestu for the f articles and vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheet bases is done, said dyestuE being substantially insoluble in said vehicle material and said vehicle material being substantiall insoluble in the solvent for the dyestuff ereinafter mentioned, mixing together a solvent for the dyestuif capable of carrying dyestuH from the ink-vehicleiinto dyeing relation to the fibers of the article, another substance capable of causing the ink-vehicle to admit said dyestu solvent and with which said dyestu solvent is immiscible, and a substance rendering the foregoing miscible, and pressing, Whilethe ink-vehicle is Still present onthe transfer sheet, a transfersheet to the article in the'presence of said mixture.

` 13. The method of making markings on leather which consists in printing the subject matter on transfer sheet bases -With an ink incorporating an alcohol-soluble dye for the leather and vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular printing process by which the printing .on to the transfer sheet bases is done,- in which vehicle material the dye is substantially insoluble, andvvhich velll@ cle' is still present on the transfer sheet, a

transfer sheet to the leather inthe presence of alcohol, and in the presence of a substance lthat is permeable into the ink-vehiclea 14. The method of making markings on leather which consists in printing the subject matter on transfer sheet bases with an ink incorporating an alcohol-soluble dye for the leather and vehicle material suit-ing the ink to the particular printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheet bases is done, in which vehicle material the dye is sulistantiallyI insoluble: and which vehicle material is substantiallyv impermeable by alcohol. and pressing, While the ink-vehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to the leather in the presence of alcohol and toluol.

15. The method of making markings on leather which consists in printing the subject mattei' on transfer sheet bases with an ink incorporating an alcohol-soluble dye for the leather and printing ink varnish, pressing, while the inkwehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to the leather in the presence of alcohol, and treating, at about the time the transfer sheet is pressed to the leather, the ink-vehicle with toluol.

1G. The method of making markings on leather which consists in printing the subject matter on transfer sheet bases with an ink incorpora-ting an alcohol-soluble dye for the leather and vehicle material suiting the ink to the particular printing process by which the printing on to the transfer sheet bases is done, said dye being substantially insoluble in said vehicle material and said vehicle material being substantially insoluble in the alcohol hereinafter mentioned, and pressing, While the ink-vehicle is still present on the transfer sheet, a transfer sheet to the leather in the presence of ethyl alcohol, and in the presence of toluol.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

ADOLF SCHUBERT. 

